Machine-gun tripod



July 28, 1925. 1,547,295

w. R. BULL MACHINE GUN TRIPOD Filed March 28, 1 2 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Willia'rn. R FBI-LL11 July 28, 1925.

. W. R. BULL MACHINE GUN TRIPDD Filed March 28. 1924 2 m mm m w mm e m Rl s 2 n u permit vertical'firing of 'thegun. By locating the rests 13and 13 moreover, 1n proper.

relation to thetrunnions 11 Sothati'the cen- V ter of gravity of the gunwhen; positioned in the cradle will be substantially coincident with thepivotal axisvof the cradle, excessive. vibration during .fire Vlll' beavoided and ready. adjustment of the gun in a vertical plane madepossible. a

For the more. secure positioning of the machine gun '17 which may beofany suitable structure in the cradle, blocks lS. may be employed whichare attached to the inner faces of the side" plates 12 and are pivotedthereon as at 19 and may be locked in'place by pins 20 fastened-bychains 21 to the side plates. 1 If desired, a bracket 22 may be securedto:.one ofvtlie side plates12 for the purpose of supporting a cartridgecase so that the shells may be properly fed into the gun. A clamp 23mounted upon the yoke serves to maintain the cradle and the gunpositioned thereon in any adjusted position.

The yoke is mounted upon a spindle 24 which fits in the central standard8 sothat the yoke may berotated about the axis of theispindlejThe'spindle maybe locked in any adjusted position by means of a pin 26formed on :a threaded member 27 which is adapted to seat in a peripheralgroove 28 formed on the spindle," The threaded mem ber 27 which isscrewedinto an opening in the standard 8 ,'ma y itselfbe locked againstmovement by a cam 29 upon the inner end ofthe handle 30 Which ispivotedto, the threaded member 27 and by means of which the threaded member 27may bejmanipulated, the cam 29 being-brought into locking relation with.r'espect'to the outer surface. of the standard '8 when the; member 27 vhas been rotated sufiicientlyto bringthe pin 26 into locking contactwith the. base of thegroove 28.-

l Vhile'the standard S may'be supported.

in any suitable. manner, I, preferably em 1 ploy, however, a tripodmount, suchas shown, comprising the legsi9 pivotally con} nected to asplit sleeve 32 slidable' upon the standard 8 and maintained inp'roperspaced relation by means oflb'races 33 \vhich are pivoted :atone end.to. the legs themselves and at .the' other end toja collar '34 which ispermanently fastened uponthe lower end of the standard 8. The sleeve 32is adjustcollar 25 jslidable. upon the standard} 8 and adapted tobelocked intany adjustable poable upon the standard .8 j and may beclamped in anyadjusted position by means of a clamping bolt 35, whichadjustably connects the spaced ends of; the sleeve 32. @A

lower portion 37.

V as at 44.

sition upon the standard by a set-screw 31 serves to limit upwardmovement of the sleeve 32 upon the standard."

Each of the leg members 9 themselves may be adjustable or extensible ifdesired, though in practice, I have found it preferable to. make oneonly of these legs extensible. This extensible leg member includes astationary upper portion 36 and a movable The sleeve 38 pivot-allyconnecting the brace to the upper portion 36 of this legis of somewhatdifferent construction from the sleeves 39' which serve to pivotallyconnect the braces 33 to the other two legs of the tripod. The sleeve 38is re-' cessed as at 40 to receive the lower end of the respective brace33 and serves as a support for the shaft 41 upon which is mounted apinion 42 adapted to cooperate With gear" teeth43 formed upon one faceof the lower adjustable leg member 37. To permit proper engagement ofthe pinion-With the gear teeth the upper leg member is slotted A pin45,; threaded into the sleeve 38 and passing through the outer legmember 36 and into a slot 46' in the" lower leg member 37 serves topreventrotation of this lower leg member in? its adjusting-movemenu Theshaft ll may be rotated to move the pinion 4-2 and through the pinionthe lower leg member 37 bymeansof a handle 47 which is pivoted to oneend of the shaft 41 and which is provided with a caminner end 48adapted'to be brought into contact with the outer face of the sleeve 38to lock the shaft 41 against rotation and theortensible portion37. inany adjusted position. This locking" handle 47 likethe handle 30 servestwo purposes, it is a manipulating means and a locking means. Whenthehandle 47 is brought into locking'position, the shaft 41 is securedagainst rotation and simultaneously the lower legmember 37 is lockedinposition.

bers with feet 49 provided with spurs. or

prongs 50 so positionedas to prevent any accidental movement ofthelegs.

. with a tripod of the structure recited, the center of gravity of the:gun :When' mounted, will be substantially coincident Withthe pivotalaxis aboutwhich the gun cradle moves; "consequently, it will becomparatively easy to maintain the gun in any adjusted position andundue vibration ofithe mount itself during firing Will be prevented. Themount, itself, is substantially strong in construction, it may bequickly adjusted and by means'of locking handles 30 and47, theadjustable parts may be securelylocked in any adjusted position.structure described it Willv be possible to quickly andjaccurately laythe gun, and to With aftripod of the maintain the'i'gnns inipnoperfiring; pos nf -.i(%f6.-. I;n 1an :Qadjfs'tabIeQIegi fo r t1 1p{Withoii'tgidanger? of. i'aceidenta'l: movement; ipplf;lg flnembel 'filower; leg niembei' mo disadjnstment becauseii ofnvibi-ationg"ableawithiri'es'p ect toistheguppei leg'membe V iflavingthus describedmy nvention What. a1 otatab'le;;sha-ftseemed-to one-of -thek leg}; Ifclaimiisizie "membensya':'pinionflnounteduionQ:' .itshaffi 75 7 1 L Ina mount fonma'c'h gun stiand; andadaptedi-tonieshzwithi'lganteeth''bmthe V Fard,'{a bfacketlljroiiflediwith spacednpright othere aleg j members-e tovmoye? the "lovv'fer1;i1e-- arms formed with aligned recesses pivotal'ly memben ith respectto thenpper leg mem-' 1 n onrilted 0n the standaiid, a cradle pivotallybei', a" handle lion rotatingfthe shaft pivoted 5 I 1 a monntedon thebracket memb 'e ysaid radle 5 to the: shaft isaicl handle :formed with?fa- I {embb y ngfl' pair of'spacedfplates"mounted cam face at*its' innerendfadapted to 0011- *f j outside i'especti've spacedlupz ight" arm's, atact with a :portion of the leg memberfonf f gu'n rest 'conneetingftheside plates- [adja which theishaftis mounted to'simultaneous 1 centtheir ends 'andadapteditobe received" 1y lock- 'tlie pinion 'flagainstrotation andithe I so f 'isswung upwardly, whereby the g uni may; 7.In-"an'ijad'ustable 'leg ifo r ti' ipod sgiian be swung into a-jvertical position,fitheirests n'pperlleg membereag low e1; le memberimoyand pivotal axis being so positioned with' reable with respect to theupper 1eg me'1nber,i= spect to each. Othe s'thatQWhengthe is"anactnating membei' mountedon one 'of theyf Olplacdin the cradle,'-"thecenter 'otgi avity} of :leg members and-adapted to cooperate ith B Sv""fthegun willbe;substantiallyjcoinc-identwith;1theothei leg member forinovingthe lower tlieflaxisabout whichzthe 'cr'ad1e=move ,edlegfmemberrelatimelto'the upper leg mem means fo'r locking thefc'adlein any adjustbet, a handle" tor manipulating the' a ctn-a 1ed-aposition; L H 3 J ingmember and means on 'the'handle fon In amountfon achine guns, a standsimultaneously locking the actua'tingV'memai'd',a bracket provided with spaced upright fber against "movement and: thelower leg "in the recesses of the armswhen-thefci adleileg in anyadjusted position f --aitms formed-with align'ed recesses s iieHyfmember in anyladjnstedlfposition. V ,1i10unted onithestandard-,zacradle p'ivot'ally- V ,8; The combinationWit-h machinejjgunfmounted on the bracketmembery'saidcradle tripod, of a cradle"jonr'naled' on thejtripool}f V iembodying ajpair ofsp'acedlplatesmountedand means for-securing a machinefgnn inl outside respectivespacedrupright arms; a said-cradle inl snch position that .theeenterrest-connecting the'side plates adjacent ofjgravity of the gun issubstantially c0 one" end and adapted to beZreceived i'inthe "gincidentwith the axi's' of thetrnnnions. reee's sesgofthe arms/When: the-cradle'is'j The combination -with afltripodi leg: wung upwardly;whereby the gun may ib'e "formed'insections, ,one'of the,sectio'nsfbeing V f swungeinto a'vertical position;- and'meansadjustable with respect to the ;other,fjof a for locking the cradleinflan'yadju'sted-P6iflock for the adjustable"section including a; 1;: ag ovable member adapted-toengage the adjustable section, a shaft onwhichth'e' Indy-' v able" n ember'is supported; l-af -member' 0111. 0cradle pivotally supported on the bracket which the movable -membervmoves, alhan' and provided with restsfor supportingjthe dle for-movingthejmovable membenlpivot 11 the Tests and pivotal :a'xisbein'g so po=editothei shaft at .anang'le to the path 0 ittned that, when the'gu'nisplaced in t movement of" said imemb ei, th'ejhandle cradle the centerof gravity-of the-gun will QformedWitha cam faced inner'end adapte be'subs tantially coincident with the; is to bebi'onght-into cont-act Withthemember 5 I a utawhio'h the cradlemovesa J on fwhichthemovablemember'moves Where; H nla mount for machine gu' byfto-v. lock themovable 7 jmember a 'ainst'" d; a bracket :n'iember 'moun ovement.

a tanda'rd', arms on th b cket. "1Q; The combinationfwith atripod le 7 d1 formed in" sectionsfone of-theseetions-jbe}; the-f; "on the.armsfofwingj adjustable with respect to the other o the {1% c1' t membr,. means on the-bracket of a look for the adjnstablefsection includgember adapted to receive theloWermo ing a movable. member,a memberonwhich st' whenthe -cradle.isfswnng'n the movable membenmoves; a handle-for'j ofi be'sW in o inoVing the'movablemember; pivoted to the; f I-movable" member atf-anangle' to the path" of] movement oftsuchmembefijand means' on F :1, ,the handle adapted to lock the movable V imember against movement f .12

11. The; combination -t .gsition; v, V, H W

. In a mountfo machineguns a' stand; "f401ard, a bracket mounted on thestandardja In a mount ,for' machine guns; a 'jc'enandard 'a bracketrotatably support the -Sta V and; a cradle lrunnioned in ket," andmeans" he e'iiin position.

able. member moves, a handle for moving the movable member and cammeans-0n the handle adapted to cooperatewith the member 'on-which themovable member moves to lock 5 the movable member against movement.

' '12. The eombination with a tripod leg formed of sections, one of thesections'adjustablefwith respect-to the other, of a lock for theadjustable section, including a mov able memben'a handle for moving themovable member, and means on the handle adapted to lock the movablemember against movement. V

WILLIAM- R. BULL.

